Stanford Medicine Health Compass

Latest Episodes:

S3 Ep5: Can protecting neurons change the future of glaucoma care? Feb 25, 2026

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Glaucoma is known as the “silent thief of sight,” often causing vision loss before people realize anything is wrong. In this episode, Stanford physician-scientist Jeffrey Goldberg shares how his work aims not just to slow damage, but to protect and strengthen the neurons that make vision possible.

S3 Ep4: What if we could stop kidney stones before they start? Feb 25, 2026

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Kidney stones may seem like a temporary problem, but for millions of people they are painful, recurring, and poorly understood. Stanford nephrologist Alan Pao studies how the kidneys regulate minerals and chemical balance, uncovering how a little-known molecule called citrate could help stop stones before they form.

S3 Ep3: What can collaboration across disciplines unlock for the future of stroke care? Feb 25, 2026

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A stroke caused by a blocked artery is one of the most time-critical emergencies in medicine. In stroke care, minutes matter — and so does precision. The difference between paralysis and recovery often comes down to how quickly, and how completely, a blood clot can be removed. At Stanford, an engineer and a physician partnered up to rethink that problem entirely.

S3 Ep2: How can curiosity — and a willingness to pivot — lead to life-saving breakthroughs? Feb 25, 2026

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From uncertainty to impact, Purvesh Khatri’s career path was anything but straight. In this episode, he shares how curiosity and a willingness to pivot led to a breakthrough blood test that helps doctors make faster, life-saving decisions for sepsis.

S3 Ep1: How have researchers turned decades of work into real hope for families living with epidermolysis bullosa? Feb 25, 2026

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Epidermolysis bullosa, often called “butterfly skin,” makes even the smallest touch painful. In this episode, we explore the courage of patients and families living with EB, and how Stanford clinician-researchers are helping turn decades of research into the first gene therapies that offer real hope.

S2 Ep5: How does food change the microbiome and our overall health? Oct 21, 2025

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Sean Spencer, MD, PhD, instructor of medicine, explores how he treats patients with challenging gastrointestinal issues, working with them to heal their guts and improve their microbiomes through a variety of tactics, including through introducing a variety of foods in small doses, adding more fiber and fermented foods to their diet, and giving “gut shots” of brine from fermented foods.
Read more in Stanford Medicine magazine: https://stanmed.stanford.edu/gi-conditions-gut-brain-connections/

S2 Ep4: What can we learn from a scientist living with sickle cell? Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Laura Dassama, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology and of chemistry, is developing new a new type of therapy for patients who, like her, live with sickle cell disease, which is caused by a mutation in the gene that codes for hemoglobin, the protein responsible for the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. Dassama speaks to her experience with the illness and describes how her lab work takes inspiration from a form of hemoglobin active during fetal development, creating a new path of inquiry that she hopes will yield a new treatment for the condition.
Read more in Stanford Medicine magazine: https://stanmed.stanford.edu/innovations-help-chronically-ill-thrive/#sicklecell

S2 Ep3: The ethics of science: How do we balance progress with safety? Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Drew Endy, PhD, associate professor of bioengineering, is well-versed in a wide range of ethical quandaries in science today. He’ll discuss what science’s most pressing ethical concerns are, with a focus on misuse of AI and the pros and cons of harnessing synthetic biology to create new solutions for intractable problems in health and medicine.
Read more in Stanford Medicine magazine: https://stanmed.stanford.edu/ethical-genetic-engineering-benefit-society/

S2 Ep2: Is exercise the health hero we all need? Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Euan Ashley, MB ChB, DPhil, chair of the department of medicine and professor of genetics and of biomedical data science, leads the MotrPac project, a research group that analyzes the effects of exercise on humans and animals. Ashley discusses what exercise does to the human body on a molecular level, why that matters, and how to incorporate exercise into daily life, including short bouts of “exercise snacks.” He also shares practical tips on how best to gain the benefits of exercise and how it can stave off disease.

S2 Ep1: What do we know about Alzheimer's disease and what brings us hope? Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

Following part one of the Alzheimer’s episode, Sharon Sha, MD, MS, clinical professor of adult neurology, later speaks to the practical questions patients and families want to know about receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis and how she helps her patients navigate their health journeys.

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